Sedimentology

Rapid progress in sedimentology began in the 1960's and is continuing today. Not only has knowledge increased rapidly, but technology has as well. Small and inexpensive, but powerful, computers are changing the ways in which we gather, record, and analyze our data or test ideas. The pedagogical value of this text is evident in its careful approach to the discipline. Not only is the text technologically oriented (e.g. graphs of mathematical functions are programmed for automatic digital computation and plotting), the author has taken great care to consider the standard petrographic methods as well. Embracing the subdisciplines of sedimentary petrology, sedimentation, and stratigraphy, the text describes the composition, texture, and structure of all kinds of sedimentary rocks; the physical, chemical, and biological processes that create sediments are also considered. Examples of ancient and modern depositional and diagenetic systems serve to illustrate the scientific methods by which sedimentary process and product are described and diagnosed. This text is ideal for students of geology who have acquired a basic knowledge of mineralogy, petrology, and stratigraphy, and are ready to apply these skills to an exciting and challenging field.